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Sunday, May 04, 2008
MILF denies Sultan Kudarat town raid
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) denied Saturday that its men drove hundreds of Christian farmers away from their homes in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat Wednesday evening.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said there is no truth to reports that Muslim rebels forced hundreds of mainly Christian families off their farms in Kalamansig.
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In a report, Kalamansig Mayor Rolando Garcia said heavily armed MILF members had driven away Christian farmers as they claimed the land belonged to the Muslim minority.
On Friday, Garcia said the MILF guerrillas entered the coastal village of Sangay in Kalamansig town, demanding food and confiscating rice recently harvested by the villagers.
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"The rebels told the frightened villagers to leave, sending them fleeing to Kalamansig town some three hours away by boat," the mayor said.
He also told reporters that about 1,200 people are now housed in evacuation centers.
"The farmers refuse to return to their homes for fear of being harmed by the rebels," he added.
It was learned that the farmers were about to harvest their crops when the rebels arrived.
The 11,000-strong MILF is meant to be observing a ceasefire and a spokesman for the rebel group said he was unaware of any land seizures.
"We have not received any report on that," Kabalu said.
He maintained that their men were ordered to abide by the ceasefire agreement even after the Malaysian peace monitors withdraw.
Reports reaching Sun.Star Davao showed, however, that some MILF members are frustrated that long-running peace talks have been stalled since December 2007.
Last week, Malaysia said around 20 of 41 members of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) is expected to leave on May 10. The rest will be withdrawn by the end of August because of the turtle-paced peace process. (AP/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (May 4, 2008 issue)
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